Defensive end Cory Morrissey has never forgotten what it takes to succeed.

“If you want to go anywhere in life you have to be driven and dedicated to what you want to do,” said Morrissey. “You have to have an endgoal. That just how I live my life.”

He was first team All-State at Gilbert High, a Class 2A school. All he ever wanted to do was play at nearby Iowa State. When the time came, however, he didn’t get an offer. For Morrissey, it was merely a bump in the road.

“I could have went Division 1-AA out of high school and settled on something ,” he said. “I decided to go JUCO for a semester to give it a shot to come here.”

Morrissey went to Iowa Western Community College, bulked up, and dominated the D-line. Iowa State finally came calling.

When he finally joined the team? “It was surreal,” he said. “Something you wanted your whole life. When I imagined going to college it was always Iowa State.”

“He’s a driven kid,” said teammate Sam Richardson. “He faced adversity throughout the recruiting process. He expected to play here and never let go of those expectations.”

Last year as a junior, Morrissey blossomed into an honorable-mention All-Big 12 performer. This year, as a 260-pound senior, Morrissey is taking no prisoners. He leads the team in tackles for loss, sacks, and got his signature moment in the win over Iowa.

“I play with a chip on my shoulder,” he said. “I know what I could do. I just wanted to prove it to everyone else.”

“He’s the kind of player that you like to watch on your own team and other coaches like to watch him because that’s how the game is supposed to be played,” said Rhoads.